Guard device



Feb. 11,1936. J. P. DENNEBAUM GUARD DEVICE Filed Sept. 5, 1935 @7112 reni b m Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT, orslcs carcass mlazfal s n am Application September 5, ms, Serial s sassr scams.((1256-1311 This invention relates to a guard device for protectivepurposes on highways and is designed primarily for positioning at thesides of a curve of a roadway; however, it is to be understood 5 thataguard device, in accordance with this invention, may be employed at anypoint upon the roadway or in any connection for which it .may be foundapplicable.

The invention hasfor its further object to 10 provide, me manner ashereinafter set forth, a guard device including a resilient structurefor clampingand suspending a guard rail and with the structure havingoppositely disposed inherent parts for clamping the rail thereto.

The invention has for its further object'to provide, inja mannerashereinafter set forth, a guard device constituting a cushioned abutmentfor arresting a vehicle from passing off a roadway sidewise, moreparticularly when rounding go curves, thereby reducing possibilities ofaccidents to a minimum.

A further object of the invention is to provid in a manner ashereinafter set forth, a guard device including means for absorbing 2sshocks, as well as reducing to a minimum damage or injury to a vehiclewhen the latter impacts the device.

A further object of the invention is to provide,

in a manner as hereinafter set forth, means for so resilientlysupporting a roadway guard-rail at its ends and at spaced'pointsintermediate its ends.

A further object of the invention is to provide,

in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a guard 35 device including aresilient suspension means having oppositely disposed parts foroverlapping the lengthwise edges of a guard rail for clamping the latterto and in abutting relation with respect to the body of said means.

40 A further object of the invention is to provide,

in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a guard device including aresilient suspension means having parts thereof for clamping a guardrail section thereagainst without perforating the rail.

45 A further object of the invention is to provide, in a manner ashereinafter. set forth, a guard device for the purpose referred toincluding a sectional guard rail and resilient suspensions for the rail,and with each suspension having ppo- 50 sitely disposed spaced parallelchannels at its front for receiving a guard rail 'sectionto couple thelattertothe suspension.

Further objects of the invention are top'rovide,

in summer as hereinafter set forth,a guard de 66 vice for the purposereferred to which is simple laterally from the posts "I.

in its construction and arrangement, strong, a durable, thoroughlyefllcient in its use, readily installed in position upon a roadway andcomparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

with the foregoing and other objects which 5 may hereinafter appear, theinvention consists of the novel construction, combination andarrangement of parts, as will be more specifically described and"illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein is shown an embodimentof the invention, but it is to be understood that changes,

variations and modifications may be resortedto which fall within thescope of the invention as claimed. t i i In the drawing:

Figure l is a fragmentary view in front elevation of the device,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in top plan of the device.

Figure 3 is a sid elevation of the form of suspension element employed,anchored against the a front of a vertical support,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the found suspension element, I

' gure 5'is'a view similar to Figure 3 showin the assembling of a guardrail relative to a combined clamp and suspension element, and v 6 is avertical sectional view of amodifled form of guard device in accordancewith this invention.

The guard device includes a plurality of side-- wise aligned spacedintermediate posts II and a pair of end posts ll (only one shown) spacedEach post II is of like form and is formed of a body l3,.preferablywood, having flat side faces ll, a flat front face II anda fiatrearfaceIt; The top" ofthebody l3 inclines downwardly from front torear. Theposts III, in pro ty totheir upper ends, are

formed with openings ll which extend from the a 40 front to the rearfaces thereof. The posts ll have their lower portions anchored in theground adjacent to the side of aroadway. Theposts ll also are tohavetheir lower portions anchored in theground I, but are to extend agreater dis- 5 tance abovethe ground than the posts II. The guard devicealso includes a bow sha metallic guard rail 25 formed of a plurality ofintermediate sections 21 and a pair'ofendsections 28. Only one endsection 2! is shown. The

2 ofthe sections 2! are anchored together in abutting engagement by thespaced holdfast means 3 l Positioned against the inner face of an endsection is a one-piece angle-shaped element 32,

which provides a reinforcement for an end of the guard rail. The element32 also provides a connector and abutment for a resilient coupling andsuspension structure 12 for the guard rail.

The guard device also includes extendible and contractible open frontresilient combined guard rail clamping and suspension elements of likeform and which correspond in number to the number of posts I 0. Eachelement 45 is an-- chored against the front of a post II. The elements4! are of like form and each is constructed of a resilient metallicstrap of the desired gauge bent to form a vertically disposed rear part46. terminating at its ends disposed spaced upper and lower segmentalinner coupling parts 41, 48, which merge respectively into a pair ofspaced oppositely extending endwise and lower channels or grooves 51, 5|respectively to receive a guard rail or a guard rail section. The part38 vextends above the inner coupling-41. 'Ihe part 54 depends belowtheinner coupling part 48. The rear part 46, centrally thereof, isformed with an opening 59. The parts 48, oppose and are spacedfrom partit by the parts 41, u. The

parts 53, I4 oppose and are spaced from the parts 49, 5| bythe parts ll,I2. The parts 41, 48 are of greater length than the parts iii, 52. Thejaws l5, 5! are of semi-circular contour. v The part 48 is positionedagainst the front face of a post ll and with its opening I9 registeringwithopening l8. Extending-through the registering openings I l, I! is athreaded bolt i0 having a head II and carrying washers i2, 83 and aclamping nut 64. The washer I2 is interposed between part 46 and bolthead II. The washer I is interposed between nut 84 and the rear face Iof post II. The bolt 80, washers 42, I3 and nut 04 coact with the postII and part 4 for anchoring element 45 to the post. Thereisassociatedwith eachpost Ila bracing, means therefor which is to be anchored in theground. Y r a Whenthe guard rail is to be resiliently suspended, thebottom of the rail isplaced in ,the

lower channel ll of element 45 and the top jaw of such element is thenany suitable tool for the P pose of having the top of the rail seatorextend into the upper channel ll of element-45 whereby the be'clamped toelement 46 and resiliently suspost l0. Preferably the guard rail will beformed of the intermediate sec tions 21 and a pair of end sections 2l.Only one end section is shown. One of the sections 21 will be connectedto one of the elements 45 in the manner asreferred to and after whichanother section 21 will beconnected to an adjacent elementllinamannerasreferredtmbutwithan end of the second connected section 2!overlapping an end of the first connected section 21.

sprung into place by into a pair of oppositely V -ment consisting of aformed of a vertical rear ends into a pair of oppositely disposedsuperposed spaced upper and lower. inner coupling parts merging into apair of oppositely extending superposed spaced upper'and-lowervertically disposed terminating into a The overlapping ends of suchsections 2? will then be connected together by the hold-fast means II,

After the desired number of the sections 21 are clamped to the elements45, an end section 2| is secured to an outer end portion of an outersection 21. When section 28 has been secured to section 21, the section28 is resiliently and slidably connected to a post H by the structure12-.

With reference to the modified form of guard device shown in Figure 6.It will be of the same construction as that shown in Figure 1 with theexception that a pair of superposed guard rails and two sets ofsuperposed extendible and con tractible open front resilient guard railclamping and suspension elements are employed. In Figure 6 anintermediate post is designated 89 and itis formedwith a pair ofsuperposed openings 00, 9|, Extending through the openings 80, 8| areanchoring means 82, 93. Secured to the front of the post 89 by theholdfast means 92, II are the upper and lower combined clamping andsuspension elements 84, respectively for the guard rails 96,91respectively. Each holdiast means corresponds to the headed bolt 60,washers and nut 64. The combined guard rail clamping and suspensionelements 94, 95 are of like form and correspond in structure to that ofthe elements 45. The guard rails 91, the same form as the guard rail 26.posts H, the bracing means 63 for the and the resilient structures 12will be in the form shown in Figure 6.

WhatIclaimis:

1. In a guard device, an extendible and con- The end end posts employedtractible open front and closed rear guard rail clamping and suspensionelement having oppositely disposed superposed spaced clamping jaws atits front for clamping the rail against said element, said elementhaving parts coacting with said jaws to provide upper and loweroppositely disposed spaced aligning channels for receiving respectivelythe top and bottom of the rail.

2. In a guard device, an extendible and contractible guard rail clampingand suspension element consisting of a resilient strap like body formedof a vertical rear part terminating at its ends into a pair ofoppositely disposed superposed spaced upper and lower inner couplingparts merging into a pair' of oppositely extending superposed Spacedupper and lower vertically disposed intermediate parts, saidintermediate parts terminating into a pair of oppositely disposedsuperposed spaced upper and lower outer coupling parts merging into apair of oppositely extending superposed spaced upper and lower frontparts terminating into a pair of vertically extending oppositelydisposed superposed spaced railclamping jaws.

3. In a guard device, an extendible and contractible guard rail clampingand suspension eleresilient strap like body part terminating at itsintermediate parts, said intermediate parts terminating into a pair ofoppositely disposed superposed spaced upper and lower outer couplingparts merging into a pair of oppositely extending sup rposed spacedupper and lower front parts pair of vertically extending oppositelydisposed superposed'spaced rail clamping Jaws, said laws in connectionwith said front 7 formed of a vertical rear parts'merging into a pair ofoppositelyextending parts providing a pair of oppositely disposedsuperposed spaced channels. a

4. In a guard device, an exten-dible and con-r tractible guard railclamping and suspension element consisting of a resilient strap likebody formed of a vertical rearpart terminating at its ends into a pairof oppositely disposed super-- posed spaced upper and lower innercoupling parts merging into a pair of oppositely extending superposedspaced upper and lower vertically distending oppositely disposedsuperposed spaced rail clamping jaws, said front parts extending aboveand depending below respectively the said upper and lower inner couplingparts. i

5. In a guard device, an extendible and con tractible guard railclamping and suspension element consisting of a resilient strap likebody part terminating at its ends into a pair of oppositely disposedsuperposed spaced upper and lower inner coupling parts merging into apair of oppositely extending superposed spacedupper and lower verticallydisposed intermediate parts, said intermediate parts terminating into apair of oppositely disposed superposed spaced upper and lower outercoupling parts merging into a pair of oppositely extending superposedspaced upper and lower front parts terminating into a pair of verticallyextending oppositely disposed superposed spaced rail clamping jaws, saidfront parts extending above and depending below respectively the saidupper and lower inner coupling parts, said jaws in connectionwith saidfront parts providing a pair of oppositely disposed superposed spacedchanels.

6. In a guard device, tractible guard rail clamping and suspensionelement consisting of a resilient strap like body formed of a verticalrear part terminating at its ends into apair of oppositely disposedsuperposed spaced upper and lower inner coupling disposed spaced jaws anextendible and coni superposed spaced upper and lower verticallydisposed intermediate parts said intermediate parts terminating into apair of oppositely disposed superposed spacedupper and'lower outer .cou-

pling parts merging into a pair of oppositely ex-, tending superposedspaced upper and lower front parts terminating into a pair of verticallyextending oppositely disposed superposed spaced rail clampingjaws, saidjaws in connection with said front parts providing a pair of oppositelydisposed superposed spaced channels, and said rear part formed with anopening adapted for the passage of a holdfast means to anchor theelement against a post.

'7. In a guard device, a pair of end posts, a set of intermediate postsarranged between theend posts, a guard rail arranged outwardly adjacentsaid intermediate posts, a guard rail clamping and suspension elementanchored to the front of each intermediate post in laterally extendedrelation tothe latter, each of said elements having an extendible' andcontractible open front provided with oppositelydisposed spaced channelsfor receiving the guard rail and oppositely for clamping the rail insaid channels, and means for resiliently and slidably connecting theendsof the guard rail to the end posts. 7

8., In a guard device; a guard rail, and resilient suspension elementsfor said rail, each of said elements including an open spaced means forreceiving the top and bottom of the rail and possessing a snappingcharacteristic for clamping the rail in said openfront to spaced meansfor receiving the top and bottom of the rail and possessing a snappingcharacteristic for clamping the-rail in said open front to resilientlysuspend the latter, the said means infront provided with eluding a pairof, oppositely disposed spaced channels and a pair of oppositelydisposed spaced clamping jaws.

JOHN P. DENNEBAUM.

